THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA

THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA
MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA (2003)
320 KBPS

The soundtrack to a Russian silent film originally released in 1929, Man With a Movie Camera whips up a maelstrom of moody, electronica-tinged jazz-funk. In 1999, the Portugese film festival selection committee asked Cinematic Orchestra’s Jason Swinscoe to compose a new score for a screening of Dziga Vertov's avant-garde classic with live orchestral accompaniment. The result is a limber collection that flirts with brilliance while never quite coming together as an entity separate from the movie itself. For the full effect, listeners are advised to check out the film’s DVD release, which features this music in its intended setting. Having said that, there is much to recommend here for fans of Cinematic Orchestra’s post-modern, acid jazz fixations; "The Awakening of a Woman (Burnout)," for instance, slinks along on a decadent groove, as does the skittish "Reel Life (Evolution II)." By improving an already classic film with these sly compositions, Swinscoe’s band lives up to its name with elegant style and sophistication.

1. The Projectionist
2. Melody
3. Dawn
4. The Awakening Of A Woman (Burnout)
5. Reel Life (Evolution II)
6. Postlude
7. Evolution (Versao Portuense)
8. Work It! (Man With The Movie Camera)
9. Voyage
10. Odessa
11. Theme De Yoyo
12. The Magician
13. Theme Reprise
14. Yoyo Waltz
15. Drunken Tune
16. The Animated Tripod
17. All Things